Institutional Building

Learned a new phrase today, institutional building. Today i looked at a project in the land down under. As tradition, i will pose photos and drawings of the project first.

The Roc Rail Operational Center

First thing that jumped into my eyes are the material and the arch-shaped windows. The red bricks and white concrete form a harmonious coalition that tells the tale of the overall structure. I enjoyed reading the sketchbook series and understand how the design came about within the confine of a box. 

Since the project require no windows on the top floor, skylight is introduced to compensate the lack of natural lighting. The glass curtain wall provides the bottom floor with ample light. 

Again, just like the CIFI project in Beijing, what intrigues me the most here is how sketching is used as an important tool to push and realize design ideas. Notice how in the first sketchbook image, a series of configuration is drawn to brainstorm the structure of the building. Only after the entire structure is decided, details ensue. 

Also i noticed something interesting today while looking out the library windows. A standard piece of ground tile is a perfect measurement of one's pace. Most people spend three steps to cross over one piece. I, however, only use two. ha!beat it, sucker.